Okay – in reality it’s green somewhere else. Lots of somewhere else’s, actually-but not here. We are at 45* for the second day in a row, but we still have tons of snow needing to melt; the snow is pretty rotten and not worth much except to remind us we don’t have green or outdoor growth yet. This tree is actually in Washington DC, and what it looked like the beginning of last October.

I used the above picture though because it kind of represents life — the single tree is like each of us, all the branches are representative of all the things we are involved in and the leaves are the activities or to-do list of all that has to be done for each part of our life. For example:

Have you have heard the version for preschool moms? I think it’s worth repeating so here it is.

If you give a mom a muffin, she’ll want a cup of coffee to go with it.

She’ll pour herself some.

Her three-year-old will spill the coffee. She’ll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks. She’ll remember she has to do laundry.

When she puts the laundry in the washer, she’ll trip over boots

and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.

She’ll look for her cookbook. (101 Things To Make With A Pound Of Hamburger.)

The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow. She will look for her checkbook.

The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.

She’ll smell something funny. She’ll change the two-year-old.

While she is changing the two-year-old the phone will ring.

Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.

She’ll remember that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee.

Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.

She will pour herself some.

And chances are, if she has a cup of coffee,

her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

by Kathy Fictorie

based on “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie” by Laura Numeroff

The first time I heard this version my children were preschoolers. Today was just like this for us though, except they are middle-schoolers and they were right along with me. But we got lots done, much more than I anticipated. With cheerful hearts and lots of laughing too :-D!

My to-do list for today:

– Coffee

– Bible Study

– Blog

– clean out sewing area after a month since last project

– SEW!

What my day held instead:

– Coffee

– Bible Study

– Blog

– Phone call with a sister-friend

– taught my daughter how to make wise choices in music

– exercised that decision making by dissecting five songs

– purchased some new music based on findings of music dissection

– son totally made dinner on his own

– have foot high piles of organization of sewing stuff on my bed

– hung pictures on the wall that have been waiting years – seriously, yes.

– due to pilot light going out on stove…

— cleaned top and under stove top – GROSS

— cleaned oven – Gross

— cleaned out broiler — Gross

— pulled out refrigerator and cleaned behind, on top, and under – REALLY GROSS!

– washed dishes six times

– ate yummy corn chowder, not made by me

– cleaned up kitchen and washed dishes again

I do not have the energy to finish my sewing area cleaning project. My bed is buried. I will be sleeping on the couch tonight. We will see if tomorrow after church brings the needed desire and motivation to finish up. If not, I will blissfully read or do hand projects in the living room and sleep on the couch again tomorrow night.

My one rule for Sundays: Don’t do anything you don’t want to do.

It is a day of rest and enjoying what God has given us.

Sometimes “rest” comes in the form of getting laundry done, or finishing up a project; but if I at all feel like I “have to get this done”. I say ‘no’. It is not so urgent it can’t wait for Monday. (If it’s that urgent, I should have done it on Saturday :-D.) I’m stating this as a little challenge to you as well. In today’s culture and society “down” time is not valued highly enough. God made us to need rest.

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